Bonk Breakers are a line of non-GMO, gluten + dairy-free energy bars that are concocted to provide a shot of clean, sustainable energy during the peri-workout period. That means before, during, or after an intense bout of physical activity; aka pre-, post-, or intra-workout if you’re isolated to gymspeak.

For any long-duration endurance event that demands optimal performance at uber-high intensities — think extreme sports, marathon races, athletics, and extended workouts — on-the-go nutrition can literally power the gap between a valiant finish and a stumbling defeat. It’s effectively a shot of rocket fuel that shields against the moment when your body starts to stall, breakdown, and quit — what you know as “hitting the wall,” or as they call it, bonking.

Physiologically, it’s the point when your body churns through and depletes its stored carbs and most efficient form of energy: glycogen. Your body’s fuel tanks are literally running on empty.We won’t go into detail here, but your body can revert to fat for energy production; it’s just far less efficient, can’t support high intensity activity, and producesa ton of lactic acid (what causes the burning sensation in muscles). Burning off fat is magical when fat-loss and looking awesome naked are your goals, but at mile 23 when you’re on the verge of collapsing, that’s probablynot what’s top of mind.

Bonk Breaker Bars — Nutrition, Ingredients, & Taste

Admittedly, I plowed through a box and I’m swooning just a little bit over Bonk Breakers. Magically, they’ve concocted a bar that manages to be A) au naturel, B) clean as hell, C) energizing, and D) moist, decadent, and explosively flavorful.

Each Bonk Breaker checks in at a manageable 220-280 calories, with 3+ grams of fiber, healthy fats, and a solid 8+ grams of protein. Their high protein line bumps that number up to 13-15g with the addition of rice protein isolate, which is ideal if protein is a priority (and it 100% should be). Juxtapose that against the fact that each bar has a slender 13-18g of sugar and is completely devoid of artificial sweeteners, and it becomes an impressively lean option — especially if you’re looking for a snack, and not just a performance bar.

And it gets better. All varieties are made with 10-12 REAL, pronounceable ingredients; as they opted to avoid all of the chemicals, preservatives, additives, and other crap that’s shoved into nearly every other protein bar. Between flax, chia, brown rice, gluten-free oats, coconut oil, whole fruit, cinnamon, almond butter, coffee beans, and others, they’re stuffed with an artillery of pure uberfoods.

Tastewise, Bonk Breakers are moist, wholesome, and explosively flavorful. Because they don’t use preservatives — bars are baked fresh every week — they’re consistently on point; legitimately as if they were home-baked, fresh out of the oven. There’s no lingering chemical residue, piercingly sweet fake sugar, or nauseating chocolate coatings. And it’s glorious.

Bonk Breakers currently come in 10 creative flavors:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip [High Protein]

Peanut Butter & Jelly [High Protein]

Almond Cherry Chunk [High Protein]

Coconut Cashew

Almond Butter & Honey

Blueberry Oat

Apple Pie

Espresso Chip

Peanut Butter & Banana

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Overall, Bonk Breakers are an effective option to shoot yourself up with fuel pre-workout or during an event, or to help galvanize the recovery process after an intense workout session. Unlike most energy bars, their respectable protein:sugar ratio — and collection of uberfoods — makes them viable as a lean snack option. If you’re buying them as a standalone lifestyle bar, go with any of the High Protein flavors. Or you could just supplement each bar with an additional dose of protein.

The Verdict: Thumbs way up. While they’re a little bit pricey at $30/12-pack ($2.50 per bar), the quality makes them well worth stocking up on. Or you could just enter our fancy giveaway below. We’re giving away 5 Protein Sampler Packs exclusively to Lean It UP readers. GET SOME.

The Bonk Breaker Giveaway

In coordination with Bonk Breaker, we’re giving away 5 protein sampler packs (and a few trucker hats) to Lean It UP readers. Using the box below, you’re eligible for a total of FIFTEEN entries by tweeting about the giveaway and/or following LIUP + Bonk Breaker on social media (and if you’ve already liked/followed us, just claim your entry).

We fully encourage you to share the giveaway and enter as many times as possible. More actions = more entries and a greater shot at winning a box.

Prizes: Five (5) Bonk Breaker Protein Sampler Packs.

End date: The giveaway closes on June 13th, 2014. We’ll announce the winners during the following week.

Eligibility: Entries are open to anyone in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico. Prizes are limited to one (1) box per person.

Get Them: If you’re not one of the lucky five, Bonk Breakers are available on Amazon — $30 per 12 pack.